Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Pictures Media Radio.
Speaker 2: Welcome to Policy and rights.
Speaker 1: Shows. Welcomer Policy that human joys. Yeah, welcome back to
Speaker 1: polity right here in Depictions Media Radio, I'm your host
Speaker 1: Michael Cloggs. And in this next episode, Well, well, let's
Speaker 1: first discuss some of the goings on in the world today. Okay, Well,
Speaker 1: there is still the question of ID in the US
Speaker 1: elections and how it may affect especially uh uh married
Speaker 1: women that they uh may not be eligible to vote
Speaker 1: because of their name not matching all across all of
Speaker 1: their IDs, because of their the the married name and
Speaker 1: name changes, thus limiting uh women from being able to vote.
Speaker 1: And it's something that was added into with the nineteenth
Speaker 1: Amendment and fought hard for as women marched and and
Speaker 1: they fought hard for the right to vote along with
Speaker 1: we're going to move into the nineteen sixties. If if
Speaker 1: women's right to vote falls, what about civil rights movements
Speaker 1: from the nineteen sixties, what about the work that Martin
Speaker 1: Luther King did? If one right falls, we have to
Speaker 1: accept the idea that somebody is going to attempt to
Speaker 1: take away more rights. It isn't just going to be
Speaker 1: a single event that they are going to work hard
Speaker 1: to prevent more and more rights. Okay, onto the idea
Speaker 1: of tariffs, of course, that well, the tariffs will be
Speaker 1: paid for or buy the government the people of the
Speaker 1: government who impose the tariff, meaning that if Canada imposes
Speaker 1: the tariff against against the United States, the Canadian people
Speaker 1: are the ones who are actually going to pay for
Speaker 1: that tariff when they actually buy the products it. In
Speaker 1: the long run, it is it will collapse in economy
Speaker 1: rather than help the economy, because what eventually winds up
Speaker 1: happening is is that the industry is itself that you're
Speaker 1: that you're placing these tariffs in order to protect the
Speaker 1: government's gotta gotta find resources to keep boosting and protect
Speaker 1: that that industry. There are better ways to actually enable
Speaker 1: a industry to thrive within its own borders, and that
Speaker 1: is by allowing each and every one of the states
Speaker 1: to join in joint commerce freely and allow the products
Speaker 1: to move quickly from say Maine, all the way to California,
Speaker 1: or if we're talking in Canada, from Apei to British Columbia,
Speaker 1: allowing free trade through the provinces and allowing the premiers
Speaker 1: to work out those particular logistic problems of getting products
Speaker 1: moved and doing commerce among themselves is a better way
Speaker 1: to protect the local economies. With that being said, and
Speaker 1: tarifs and everything, that, in my opinion, is going to
Speaker 1: become the job of the new Prime Minister, whoever it
Speaker 1: may be, that they're going to have to find new
Speaker 1: trade lines for Canadian merchants, new ways of getting products,
Speaker 1: importing products into the into the country. When we have
Speaker 1: products being brought into California and then being shipped from
Speaker 1: California into Canada, that it is subject to all the
Speaker 1: all of the tariffs that are being put in place.
Speaker 1: An end result is that when you go to that
Speaker 1: go to the store to buy the products, you're the one,
Speaker 1: as a consumer who has to pay the tariff. And
Speaker 1: that is something to be remembered as we hear how
Speaker 1: are elected officials are trying to fight against mister Trump
Speaker 1: as he appears in the United States. So with that,
Speaker 1: we're going to hear from Green Party co leaders as
Speaker 1: they are interviewed by the First Nations Network about First
Speaker 1: Nations issues and things that directly affect our indigenous friends.
Speaker 1: Since we are also on and operating on living on
Speaker 1: the traditional indigenous lands. This is their land before fourteen
Speaker 1: ninety two. Ever happened before Christopher Columbus, if you want
Speaker 1: to want to go that way, before the Europeans discovered
Speaker 1: that this land existed and they renamed it America. So
Speaker 1: those indigenous issues are extremely important because a lot of
Speaker 1: those issues are gonna lead back to stewardship. How do
Speaker 1: we take care of the land so that the land
Speaker 1: takes care of us. Here's the thing. We're gonna hear
Speaker 1: a lot about climate change and things like that as
Speaker 1: as campaigns move forward, and we're gonna hear a lot
Speaker 1: about how, oh we need to kill this LNG product,
Speaker 1: we need to stop the removal of the Tarsans. We're
Speaker 1: gonna hear a lot about.
Speaker 2: That that.
Speaker 1: Is not entirely true. What needs to actually happen is
Speaker 1: that if we remove trees from the forest so that
Speaker 1: we can build homes, that we do that we do
Speaker 1: the removal in a way that allows the land to
Speaker 1: regrow the trees. Let's say that again, because I think
Speaker 1: that we as a voting public need to understand this
Speaker 1: and we need to project that to these elected officials,
Speaker 1: that we need to have a plan in place that
Speaker 1: as we remove the resources from the land that it
Speaker 1: allows the land to replenish those resources. We have to
Speaker 1: become part of a cycle that keeps building our world
Speaker 1: in a way that it is renewable. Our planet wants
Speaker 1: to renew itself, and if we prevent we create an
Speaker 1: environment that prevents this renewal, we could face ultimate. So
Speaker 1: let's move forward, and we're going to start by listening
Speaker 1: to Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pinault as they are co
Speaker 1: leaders of the Green Party as they speak to the
Speaker 1: First Nations Network and the First Nations media about issues
Speaker 1: around Indigenous rights and stewardships.
Speaker 3: So we would like to officially welcome everyone to the
Speaker 3: first Virtual Forum hosted by the Assembly of First Nations
Speaker 3: for of course First Nation leadership from across the country
Speaker 3: with the various party leaders leading up to the forty
Speaker 3: fifth general election on April twenty eighth, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3: So it's very important to start today's session in a
Speaker 3: good way. So we will have an opening prayer from
Speaker 3: knowledge Keeper Leonard Weasel Traveler. Leonard Weasel Traveler, go ahead.
Speaker 4: Hey, thank you very much. So always an honor to
Speaker 4: be able to provide support for meetings events such as
Speaker 4: this my honor to call on the Creator, the source
Speaker 4: and giver of life, to to be with us in
Speaker 4: this in this session for asking for divine inter intervention
Speaker 4: from God to help help all of us. We all
Speaker 4: have our individual needs as the creators to provide all
Speaker 4: our needs, as the Creator to give to give us
Speaker 4: the positive energy for the best possible outcome for for
Speaker 4: this meeting, for the session, especially for all my brothers
Speaker 4: and sisters across across this country. Uh, we need good leadership.
Speaker 4: We need there's so many things that we need and
Speaker 4: we look to to the leadership, We look to government
Speaker 4: to provide the needs for us. So my prayer is
Speaker 4: is for that support and for everybody that's participating in
Speaker 4: this virtual session, this virtual meeting. I will say a
Speaker 4: few words in my my first language, Ah, I was
Speaker 4: bad to build high not to spos and homogene ochi
Speaker 4: cocon hanikagu ogenstaga chipu kinonista makinisko gonna imad understa now
Speaker 4: used to MONI come. My prayer was gaining what I
Speaker 4: mentioned for support and divine intervention for the best possible
Speaker 4: outcome for for everybody that's participating in this meeting today. Amen,
Speaker 4: be Rich.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much to knowledge Keeper Leonard Weazel Traveler
Speaker 3: for opening this session this afternoon. Now the Duga and
Speaker 3: I may have been doing them then su. My English name,
Speaker 3: of course is Adam Fiddler, and I will be hosting
Speaker 3: and moderating the session with the group on behalf of
Speaker 3: the Assembly of First Nations here this afternoon. And as
Speaker 3: I mentioned, of course, this is the first session for
Speaker 3: the Assembly of First Nations virtual forums with the various
Speaker 3: party leaders. A few housekeeping announcements before we get started,
Speaker 3: just to let you know, there is simultaneous translation available
Speaker 3: for both English and French. You can select a language
Speaker 3: by clicking the translation icon at the bottom of the
Speaker 3: screen of course, the little glow icon at the bottom,
Speaker 3: and you can either select French or English. Both translations
Speaker 3: are available. There is also closed captioning available for the session.
Speaker 3: Believe that all participants that are online did get a
Speaker 3: link and you can click on the link. We will
Speaker 3: try and make it available here as well. You can
Speaker 3: click on the link and you will be able to
Speaker 3: see the closed captioning. Also, just a reminder that this
Speaker 3: virtual session will be recorded and it will be posted
Speaker 3: online after each of the forums has been held. They
Speaker 3: will be publicly posted, So just a quick review of
Speaker 3: the agenda for today. Of course, we will begin with
Speaker 3: opening remarks from National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Sneepanek, who will
Speaker 3: be welcoming the Green Party co leaders Elizabeth May and
Speaker 3: Jonathan Pedno to our forum here today. The party leaders
Speaker 3: will be given five minutes to provide opening comments before
Speaker 3: we go into the moderated question and answer period. So
Speaker 3: the AFN has developed five questions that we shared in
Speaker 3: advance of this session, which will cover the following topics
Speaker 3: Number one Canada US border and trade, Number two First
Speaker 3: Nation's infrastructure gap, number three water, number four policing, and
Speaker 3: number five children and families. So once we make it
Speaker 3: through those five questions, we will open up the session
Speaker 3: for any questions from registered First Nation leadership. If you
Speaker 3: would like to pose a question to the Green Party
Speaker 3: co leaders, please write your question and submit them in
Speaker 3: the Q and A box at the bottom of your screen.
Speaker 3: So we'll go through as many questions as we can
Speaker 3: within a forty minute period. So just a reminder, go
Speaker 3: to the bottom of the screen. There's a Q and
Speaker 3: a box. If you don't see that, you should be
Speaker 3: able to go to other and then just click on
Speaker 3: the Q and A session. At that point you can
Speaker 3: type in your question. After we've finished the question period,
Speaker 3: we will invite the Green Party coop leaders back for
Speaker 3: closing remarks, and we will invite the National Chief back
Speaker 3: as well, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinac, for closing remarks, and then
Speaker 3: we will end the session again, very important to end
Speaker 3: in a good way with a closing prayer from Leonard
Speaker 3: Weisel Traveler. So at this point we are very pleased
Speaker 3: to have National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepanac with us here today.
Speaker 3: National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Neepinac was born and raised in Panama,
Speaker 3: tank First Nation, Manitoba. Her ancestor, Chief Richard Woodhouse, was
Speaker 3: an original signator to Treaty number two. She began her
Speaker 3: term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations
Speaker 3: on December seventh, twenty twenty three, becoming the youngest woman
Speaker 3: and mother to hold the position. So we'd like to
Speaker 3: welcome National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Sleeping back to the session
Speaker 3: today to provide opening remarks and of course introduce the
Speaker 3: Green Party co leaders with that National Chief. National Chief,
Speaker 3: you're on mute. Just to let you know no we
Speaker 3: still can't hear you. So now there we go.
Speaker 5: We're good, perfect, well up a chick kitchen and Makakabijaianomanung.
Speaker 5: My name is Cyndy wood House Sleeping Act and I
Speaker 5: come from Petain, First Nation. Jimmy Wetch to Elder Leonard
Speaker 5: Weisel Traveler for welcoming us this morning and starting this afternoon,
Speaker 5: starting this off in a good way. It's the first
Speaker 5: time the Assembly of First Nations has hosted all the
Speaker 5: different leaders and to talk about what's happening in our country. Adam,
Speaker 5: I want to thank you as well for agreeing to
Speaker 5: host these sessions as we talk about the kind of
Speaker 5: country that we want. So I want to again thank
Speaker 5: the Elder for the prayer, all the chiefs that are here,
Speaker 5: the Council, the First Nations leaders, First Nations members and
Speaker 5: members of the media for attending today. We are so
Speaker 5: I'm thankful to be coming to you live from treating
Speaker 5: One Territory and today's session is the first of a
Speaker 5: series of online forums that the Assembly of First Nations
Speaker 5: is hosting with each of the federal party leaders prior
Speaker 5: to the April twenty eighth election. These sessions are being
Speaker 5: recorded and we will post all of them online before
Speaker 5: the election so that all First Nations and all Canadians
Speaker 5: can hear what each of the leaders have to say.
Speaker 5: This is the first time, of course, that the AFN
Speaker 5: has hosted a series like this with the party leaders.
Speaker 5: So I want to uplift and thank our staff for
Speaker 5: pulling things together and for making sure that things run
Speaker 5: smooth today, and to make sure that our leadership and
Speaker 5: our First Nations across our beautiful country have access to
Speaker 5: federal leaders that want to be Prime minister in this country.
Speaker 5: If we ever needed an election forum series exclusively for
Speaker 5: First Nations, I think twenty twenty five is the year
Speaker 5: that we have to do it. Not only are we
Speaker 5: moving into a dangerous era of US colonialism, we are
Speaker 5: also coming up to the tenth anniversary of the Truth
Speaker 5: and Reconciliations commissioned historic calls to action, And as we
Speaker 5: have said at the outset of this campaign, Canada's economic
Speaker 5: success and future stability depend on First Nations being full
Speaker 5: and equal partners in decision making. Our rights are affirmed
Speaker 5: in treaty, recognized in Canadian and international law that must
Speaker 5: be upheld over five hundred and sixty billion dollars of
Speaker 5: projects are forecast to be launched on our traditional lands
Speaker 5: over the next decade. They have been a focus point
Speaker 5: on the selection and rightfully so so. The potential benefit
Speaker 5: of these projects is in the trillions of dollars. They
Speaker 5: represent a cornerstone of Canada's future economic growth, but they
Speaker 5: won't advance without First Nations support for this campaign. The
Speaker 5: Assembly of First Nations released a document Capture First Nations,
Speaker 5: that captures First Nations priorities for each of the leaders
Speaker 5: to consider. We've sent it to them and it's called
Speaker 5: Prosperity for All, and we have sent it out to
Speaker 5: all First Nations. In addition to the calls to action
Speaker 5: and resolutions for Chiefs and Assembly, Prosperity for All document
Speaker 5: reflects the calls for justice on behalf of our missing
Speaker 5: and murdered First Nations women and girls, and Canada's United
Speaker 5: United Nations Declaration Act. It also outlies the key commitments
Speaker 5: we are seeking from party leaders, particularly related to economic
Speaker 5: reconciliation to Canada, US trade and border mobility, policing on
Speaker 5: First Nations, policing on clean drinking water for First Nations,
Speaker 5: and on the well being of First Nations, children, families
Speaker 5: and the environment. So we'll touch on each of these
Speaker 5: in this forum today. It's my absolute pleasure to introduce
Speaker 5: you and welcome the co leaders of the Green Party.
Speaker 5: My friend Elizabeth May has been the MP for Sanach
Speaker 5: Gulf Island since twenty eleven and she is running there
Speaker 5: in this election. Elizabeth was first elected Green Party leader
Speaker 5: in two thousand and six and she served in that
Speaker 5: role for thirteen years. She was electtion to cole lead
Speaker 5: the Green Party in twenty twenty two. So thank you
Speaker 5: today Elizabeth and your commitment to First Nations issues throughout
Speaker 5: your career. We'd lift you up in a good way
Speaker 5: for always stabbing up for the environment and being an
Speaker 5: ally to First Nations in the House of Commons as well,
Speaker 5: with the Green Party co leader Jonathan Pena. Jonathan was
Speaker 5: elected Green Party co leader with Elizabeth in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 5: In this election, Jonathan is running in the Quebec writing
Speaker 5: of Outermont. So I want to thank you Jonathan for
Speaker 5: joining us today. Finally, I want to thank our moderator
Speaker 5: Adam Fiddler for taking the time to manage these sessions.
Speaker 5: You've always done such a great job at our assemblies,
Speaker 5: and I'm so glad that you know that you came
Speaker 5: to help us today. We wish you all a very
Speaker 5: good meeting, a good discussion on the twenty twenty five
Speaker 5: federal election. So I look forward to listing and learning
Speaker 5: from all of you on you know, how we move
Speaker 5: forward together.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank you very much. Which National Chief Cindy
Speaker 3: woodhost SNEAPINAX. So at this point we'll take five minutes
Speaker 3: and we'll turn it over to the co leaders, Elizabeth
Speaker 3: May and Jonathan Pinnell.
Speaker 6: I want to I'm deeply honored to be joining. I
Speaker 6: think Jonathan, you and I are sharing five minutes. We
Speaker 6: went don't want to respect that we share everything, so
Speaker 6: that's not unusual. I just wanted to start if I
Speaker 6: made Jonathan with a huge maguitch. And what an honor
Speaker 6: to be in a first panel, to be welcomed by
Speaker 6: samilya First Nations National Chief and for you to identify
Speaker 6: me as friend Cindy, Cindy Wood, House, Sneap and AC.
Speaker 6: I'm deeply honored. I wear the ribbon skirt you gave
Speaker 6: me with such gratitude to many events, and it was
Speaker 6: so kind at that water honoring ceremony when I first
Speaker 6: met you in Winnipeg when you were a regional chief,
Speaker 6: and I wish you so much, so much blessings and
Speaker 6: the Creator sean on you and the work you were doing,
Speaker 6: and meeting your parents that time too. If that wasn't
Speaker 6: that time another time I met your parents anyway near mind,
Speaker 6: I shouldn't do this.
Speaker 2: I always do this.
Speaker 6: A's start going down rabbit holes. I want to thank
Speaker 6: Adam Fiddler for moderating, and especially to knowledge Keeper Leonard
Speaker 6: Weasel Traveler for starting us out in such a good way.
Speaker 6: I want to acknowledge that I speak to you today
Speaker 6: from Wassenich Territory on southern Vancouver Island and in the
Speaker 6: language of the peoples who have occupied this land from
Speaker 6: time immemorial. Raise my hands to all of youssim I see,
Speaker 6: it's so amazing to realize that on this call we
Speaker 6: also have another chief, just extraordinary leader in cookby Roseanne Kasimir.
Speaker 6: So I say to her, cook's jum amazing work that
Speaker 6: is being done throughout SNS and all the First Nations
Speaker 6: across Canada. I'd say one or two things and then
Speaker 6: turn it to Jonathan very quickly, because there's a lot
Speaker 6: to cover. A Tomorrow, I'm launching and announcing publicly the
Speaker 6: platform of the plank of the platform on Indigenous issues
Speaker 6: for the Green Party. I've been keeping track in this
Speaker 6: election of what I call am I a missing in
Speaker 6: action issues. We don't hear about Indigenous reconciliation climate, both
Speaker 6: critical issues and not being talked about much. So I'd
Speaker 6: be honored to present some of our platform today and
Speaker 6: answer any questions, and I thank you for again mag
Speaker 6: Rich for sending the questions ahead of time. I'm deeply
Speaker 6: honored to share that Green Party doesn't have leaders who
Speaker 6: operate top down. We're not in charge of anyone but
Speaker 6: our own conduct. Jonathan and I are co leaders understood
Speaker 6: to be co spokespeople.
Speaker 2: We're not.
Speaker 6: You know, we don't have a top down control system.
Speaker 6: We don't whip votes. Our members of Parliament represent the
Speaker 6: people of their community, and we are not hierarchical. We
Speaker 6: try to break out of the expectations of colonialism, repression
Speaker 6: and exploitation. Years ago, our membership passed resolutions to denounce
Speaker 6: the doctrine of Discovery, to make it clear that Indigenous
Speaker 6: reconciliation requires a nation to nation relationship with respect towards
Speaker 6: Indigenous sovereignty, and we also of course frame our platform
Speaker 6: around the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Speaker 6: We confirm the support for the calls to action of
Speaker 6: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the work of the
Speaker 6: Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We
Speaker 6: will implement those calls to justice and calls to action.
Speaker 6: So atois de toi la parol jonata.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Elizabeth, and I'm also deeply honored to be here.
Speaker 2: Thank you National Chief Adam Fidler, speaking to all of
Speaker 2: you today from Trachek on the traditional and see the
Speaker 2: territory of the Inkyaga Nation. And it's a nutherer for
Speaker 2: me every time I have a chance to sit in
Speaker 2: for us like these, to learn more and hear about
Speaker 2: the concerns of Indigenous and First Nations throughout the country.
Speaker 2: We have an awful lot of work to do in
Speaker 2: Canada to live up to the work, the difficult work
Speaker 2: of reconciliation, but the work that is absolutely needed. And
Speaker 2: it pains me as a Quebecer to see that this
Speaker 2: work is very much lagging behind here in Quebec, probably
Speaker 2: more than in some other provinces. But I think that
Speaker 2: collectively we can continue to move this agenda forward. Elizabeth
Speaker 2: touched on the MIAs in this election, and certainly reconciliation
Speaker 2: has not been brought forth as a priority by media,
Speaker 2: who is very much busy with what is happening south
Speaker 2: of the border. And I'm very grateful for the opportunity
Speaker 2: that we have here today to discuss issues that are
Speaker 2: close to my heart and Elizabeth and the Green Party
Speaker 2: at large, so that we can collectively build a country
Speaker 2: not just for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but
Speaker 2: the generations to come. Thank you, Migwitch.
Speaker 3: Thank you very much. Both Jonathan Pedno and Elizabeth May
Speaker 3: of course co leaders of the Green Party of Canada.
Speaker 3: So what we've done is we've identified five questions. They've
Speaker 3: been sent to the leaders ahead of time, and then
Speaker 3: of course after that we will be opening up for
Speaker 3: any further questions here online. Now the plan is three
Speaker 3: minutes for each response, so I'm not sure which co
Speaker 3: leader will respond, so I'll leave that to you at
Speaker 3: your discretion, whether you want to tag team and split
Speaker 3: your time or whether it's one person. I'll leave that
Speaker 3: to you. So, of course, the first question, how will
Speaker 3: you include first nations in first nation or sorry in
Speaker 3: First ministers meetings and other federal, provincial territorial meetings dealing
Speaker 3: with Canada US border security and trade of course a big.
Speaker 6: Issue right now, May I Jonathan, and I'll go quickly
Speaker 6: as I can. I'm putting my timer on. Greens have
Speaker 6: a concept for a new system of governance for Canada
Speaker 6: at large, which will not require reopening the constitution, but
Speaker 6: on every issue Indigenous peoples should be at the table.
Speaker 6: And we drew this model from Australia, which left out
Speaker 6: Indigenous people. Ironically, the Australian model is called the Council
Speaker 6: of Australian Governments, so there's a seat at the table
Speaker 6: for the federal government of Australia, their state governments, which
Speaker 6: are kind of like our provinces, and local governments municipalities.
Speaker 6: We make our table in four quadrants, so it actually
Speaker 6: kind of looks like a medicine will when you draw it.
Speaker 6: So federal, provincial, territorial, local, Indigenous, so that on every
Speaker 6: issue our vision of how Canada functions is not a
Speaker 6: First Ministers meeting, but everyone at the table to try
Speaker 6: to try to row our canoe in the same direction
Speaker 6: all the time, that we would pick by consensus a
Speaker 6: goal of that's national and work towards it together. So
Speaker 6: we would have no discussions about trade with the United
Speaker 6: States or any other issues without indigenous leadership at the table.
Speaker 6: And Johns and I think I've left you about a
Speaker 6: minute left.
Speaker 2: Maybe No, that's great, Yeah, I mean I think we
Speaker 2: have You know, I'm from a generation that didn't go
Speaker 2: through the traumas of institutional discussions in this country. But
Speaker 2: I do think that we are ripe very soon for
Speaker 2: new discussions about the state of the nation Indigenous communities.
Speaker 2: We're not at the table in eighteen sixty seven, and
Speaker 2: I do think that we need. We have a lot
Speaker 2: of lessons from the ongoing work on reconciliation that we
Speaker 2: can draw from concrete examples of places where things can
Speaker 2: and should be better in terms of including everyone's voices
Speaker 2: and respecting the primacy of Indigenous knowledge and ownership of
Speaker 2: the land that we are grateful to live on. And
Speaker 2: that is something that I think very soon we need
Speaker 2: collectively as Canada to bring back to the table. How
Speaker 2: do we make sure that everyone's voice is at the table,
Speaker 2: especially on the question of the US relationship right now.
Speaker 3: Thank you both so much for the response and sticking
Speaker 3: with the timeframes that we have. So the next question
Speaker 3: is dealing with the infrastructure gap. What steps will you
Speaker 3: be taking first of all in the first year and
Speaker 3: then throughout your term to close the first nation's infrastructure
Speaker 3: gap across the country. And I'll leave it to you
Speaker 3: how you respond.
Speaker 2: Elizabeth, you're the elder statement.
Speaker 6: Well, let me go, then, I was just warning. I
Speaker 6: thought we should take turns, but I'll go first. Infrastructure
Speaker 6: gap is enormous, and again we start with the existing recommendations.
Speaker 6: So one infrastructure gap was identified in the inquiry into
Speaker 6: Missing a murdered Indigenous women and girls. How is it
Speaker 6: that in a modern industrial country like Canada, people are
Speaker 6: left a hitchhike if you have wealth and you have
Speaker 6: a car and get around. But other than in our
Speaker 6: urban areas where there's pub transportation, there's virtually no public transportation.
Speaker 6: So to get from to get to Prince George and
Speaker 6: you're on you're either you have a big car or
Speaker 6: you have a or you're on an airplane. We need
Speaker 6: to listen to those recommendations. One was we also endorse
Speaker 6: guaranteed Liverpool income. The other is from the missing murder
Speaker 6: Indigenous women and girls. Directly to infrastructure is to ensure safe,
Speaker 6: reliable and low cost public transportation across Canada. We also
Speaker 6: fully support that recommendation of that inquiry to shut down
Speaker 6: man camps, reducing risks and reducing environmental damage. The other
Speaker 6: key piece of infrastructure, of course, and make up in
Speaker 6: another question is for indigenous control over infrastructure to deliver
Speaker 6: clean drinking water. We certainly support that and it's been
Speaker 6: way overdue.
Speaker 2: All add that we've we've also we're also very concerned
Speaker 2: about food security throughout throughout Canada and all Canadians, but
Speaker 2: especially in a number of First nations throughout the country
Speaker 2: up north. I was just in the Yukon, where carrying
Speaker 2: food from the bigger cities into communities is extremely expensive.
Speaker 2: We have the solutions technologically and otherwise to make sure
Speaker 2: that food production can be more localized and closer to
Speaker 2: the communities, but that needs to be made possible through
Speaker 2: the various regulations, So work with the territorial and provincial
Speaker 2: governments on that front, but also seed investments that are
Speaker 2: needed for these projects to actually see the light of
Speaker 2: day and reduce the cost of food throughout Canada, and
Speaker 2: especially in communities that are more isolated from the production center,
Speaker 2: so that is also something that is very important. And
Speaker 2: then housing. Housing remains a crisis throughout the country, but
Speaker 2: especially in First Nations and communities throughout the country North.
Speaker 2: That is something that the Liberals are now slowly trying
Speaker 2: to improve. But the investments need to be wider, bigger,
Speaker 2: and the houses need to be delivered faster. And that's
Speaker 2: why we want to get the federal government back into
Speaker 2: the actual business of building the homes itself, not just
Speaker 2: pushing this into the hands of private developers.
Speaker 3: Great, and just to legend both know, I mean we're
Speaker 3: a little bit flexible. I did say three minutes, but
Speaker 3: there are two of you as co leaders, so there
Speaker 3: is some flexibility to give you a little bit of
Speaker 3: extra time if you need it to be able to
Speaker 3: respond properly. But we will go to the next question,
Speaker 3: and another very important issue, of course is water, and
Speaker 3: I'll let you decide who responds first. And again a
Speaker 3: little bit of extra time is okay. The question is
Speaker 3: what is your plan to introduce a bill something similar
Speaker 3: to Bill C sixty one, the First Nation's Clean Water Act,
Speaker 3: and to end the outstanding boil water advisories on reserves
Speaker 3: across the country.
Speaker 6: If I can start just by saying C sixty one
Speaker 6: was introduced in my view, I mean, I know there
Speaker 6: was support for it, We would have supported it, but
Speaker 6: it certainly was flawed in the failure to fully engage
Speaker 6: in consultations in advance with indigenous peoples across Canada with
Speaker 6: First Nations and understanding how C sixty one should best
Speaker 6: be framed. We certainly support in all and stress all
Speaker 6: and underlined that aspects of indigenous governance, self governance, respect
Speaker 6: for sovereignty and so yes, making sure that safe drinking water,
Speaker 6: potable water is delivered to all First Nations homes, but
Speaker 6: waters more than that water is controlling the watershed, is
Speaker 6: making sure that control over logging protects a watershed, making
Speaker 6: sure that wetlands are protected because there's green infrastructure that
Speaker 6: protects clean drinking water. It's not all concrete and pipes.
Speaker 6: And that also means listening to indigenous wisdom, listening to
Speaker 6: communities and elders and what was water like before contact,
Speaker 6: What was the system that was existing before exploitation and colonialization.
Speaker 6: It also is something that I want to mention is
Speaker 6: that I did get a bill through Parliament and the
Speaker 6: Senator Chreas Senator Mary Jane McCallum helped me enormously, so
Speaker 6: I took it through the House, she took it through
Speaker 6: the Senate for a bill towards Indigenous well environmental justice
Speaker 6: and an end to environmental racism. So in communities across
Speaker 6: Canada we find more toxic waste on Indigenous lands, the
Speaker 6: disrespect of Indigenous peoples and culture through through many cases
Speaker 6: across kind of environmental racism. I think that also does
Speaker 6: apply to water, safe drinking water and indigenous sovereignty over
Speaker 6: maintaining those systems to ensure clean water.
Speaker 2: And knows that very briefly. Of course, we're also planting
Speaker 2: for stronger regulations for extractives who are affecting the quality
Speaker 2: of water in so in so many water streams, just
Speaker 2: as Elizabeth was mentioning for all too long now the
Speaker 2: mining sector, the oil and gas sector are being allowed
Speaker 2: in some cases facilitated that the opportunity to operate near
Speaker 2: water ways that are essential to the provision of drinking
Speaker 2: water for several Indigenous communities and other communities throughout the country.
Speaker 2: And we want stronger regulations that should not come as
Speaker 2: a surprise, but they need to play by the rules
Speaker 2: and when they don't, they need to pay and they
Speaker 2: need to compensate. The last thing is that, of course,
Speaker 2: we would also be supportive of giving legal rights to
Speaker 2: bodies of water, whether it's the Saint Lawrence River the
Speaker 2: Great Lakes, to allow for groups of citizens indigenous communities
Speaker 2: to sue when they pollute these bodies of water, as
Speaker 2: we know they have and sadly will continue to do
Speaker 2: unless we have stronger regulations to prevent it.
Speaker 3: Thank you both for the response. So I'd just like
Speaker 3: to remind everyone those of you joining the sessions as
Speaker 3: well that have registered and formally joined the session. We
Speaker 3: did identify five questions that were pre identified and sent
Speaker 3: to the party leaders, so we'll be going through those
Speaker 3: five questions. We've got two more, at which point we
Speaker 3: will open it up to any questions on the floor
Speaker 3: from any registered participants. So if you do have a question,
Speaker 3: what we will do is we'll be going through those
Speaker 3: and just a reminder, go to the bottom of the screen.
Speaker 3: There should be an icon Q and a with a
Speaker 3: question mark. Just click that and you can ask your
Speaker 3: question and we will be looking at the questions. We'll
Speaker 3: be going to that as soon as we're done the
Speaker 3: two predetermined questions. So again, the next question deals with policing,
Speaker 3: and the question is what steps will you be taking
Speaker 3: to call for a public inquiry into in custody deaths
Speaker 3: and introduce a bill establishing First Nations policing as an
Speaker 3: essential service that includes long term funding and recognition of
Speaker 3: First Nation's jurisdiction. So again, I'll let you decide who
Speaker 3: response first.
Speaker 6: I'm so angry, I'll never get over losing chantell More
Speaker 6: on June fourth, and now it's three years coming up. Well,
Speaker 6: that's checks and the policing that kills people and calls
Speaker 6: it a wellness check. It's long overdue that we deal
Speaker 6: with the systemic racism within policing across Canada. By the way,
Speaker 6: when we talk about the numbers of Indigenous peoples in jail,
Speaker 6: Jonathan and my deputy leader, Rainbow Eyes is a member
Speaker 6: of her traditional territories at night Inlet In BC. She's
Speaker 6: currently appealing a sentencing of fifty one days in jail
Speaker 6: for nonviolent land defense of indigenous as an Indigenous land
Speaker 6: defender against logging in ulgrove forests. But we're looking at
Speaker 6: the desperate need to reform the RCMP. The report which
Speaker 6: I'm sure you're familiar with, but the Mass Casualty Commission
Speaker 6: that looked at the killing of twenty one people in
Speaker 6: Nova Scotia by alone deranged white rich man. I mentioned
Speaker 6: that because if he wasn't a white rich man. It
Speaker 6: came up very clearly in the five thousand pages of
Speaker 6: the Mass Casualty Commission report that for over ten years,
Speaker 6: various people had reported that this man was dangerous, that
Speaker 6: he had been abusive to Indigenous women, that he'd beaten
Speaker 6: up on someone who happened to be sitting at a
Speaker 6: bus shelter right in front of where this man's denture
Speaker 6: clinic was in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He killed twenty one
Speaker 6: people in a shooting spree, but the RCMPI had had
Speaker 6: many reports about him, and you go through the police
Speaker 6: reports they're in this Mass casually report, and they'd say, well,
Speaker 6: the police wouldn't investigate. For instance, when he beat up people,
Speaker 6: They said, why would this rich guy beat up and
Speaker 6: steal from a poor person. You just know that policing
Speaker 6: in Canada had this. The alleged perpetrator been Indigenous or
Speaker 6: a person of color, they would have absolutely believed that
Speaker 6: they beat up on people. But they were rich white guys.
Speaker 6: So there's a disproportionate, as we know, disproportionate level of
Speaker 6: Indigenous people and people of color in our prisons. And
Speaker 6: that's not an accident. It has to do with the
Speaker 6: deep racism within our policing. So it's a matter of
Speaker 6: urgency that government live up to the previous commitment it
Speaker 6: made to indigenous policing in Indigenous communities. If the government,
Speaker 6: I pledged to you, if the government doesn't act in
Speaker 6: the new Minister of Justice bring forward such a bill immediately,
Speaker 6: I'll be drafting it and producing it as a private
Speaker 6: member's bill. We have to have action on this. No,
Speaker 6: not again, should any I mean, we need to investigate
Speaker 6: all the wellness checks where Indigenous people are killed, and
Speaker 6: we need to make sure that we thoroughly investigate and
Speaker 6: better train police officers. But Indigenous communities should be policed
Speaker 6: by people who are community members within indigenous communities.
Speaker 2: And very briefly beyond that, there's also the question of
Speaker 2: reconciliation between the crown, the federal Crown, and Indigenous communities.
Speaker 2: We have prosecutors coming from southern communities, oftentimes being dispatched
Speaker 2: without appropriate, appropriate training on how to deal with a
Speaker 2: number of offenses that take place in communities and with
Speaker 2: no cultural appreciation of the contexts in which they operate,
Speaker 2: and that causes harm and trauma and retraumatization, and that
Speaker 2: is something that needs to be addressed, just as there's
Speaker 2: a need for more Indigenous people in legal professions generally,
Speaker 2: and that needs to be supported by the federal government.
Speaker 3: Thank you both Jonathan Pedno and Elizabeth May for the
Speaker 3: response on that question. And again just a reminder, we
Speaker 3: did say three minutes, but we'll sort of give you
Speaker 3: three minutes each if if required. These are very important
Speaker 3: matters and very important issues as we lead up to
Speaker 3: the election. So of course, the fifth theme for the
Speaker 3: session is children and Families. So the question is, and
Speaker 3: again I'll let it, I'll let the two of you
Speaker 3: decide who goes first. The question is what steps will
Speaker 3: you take to provide long term funding for Jordan's principle
Speaker 3: and a commitment to long term reform of the discriminatory
Speaker 3: First Nation's child welfare system. So I'll give it to
Speaker 3: you to see who goes first.
Speaker 6: You go JP.
Speaker 2: No, it's essential that we have stable permanent funding for
Speaker 2: Jordan's principle. For us, it's about honoring and implementing the
Speaker 2: Canadian Human Rights tribunal rulings, but it's also about reforming
Speaker 2: reforming the child welfare system with Indigenous nations. We need
Speaker 2: to fund first nations lead child and family services, and
Speaker 2: all of this is also integral with the questions of housing,
Speaker 2: of water, building, ensuring that there's an equitable per capital
Speaker 2: funding for education in health, which is not currently the case. Ultimately,
Speaker 2: it's bound For us, it's about justice and treaty rights.
Speaker 2: It's about binding human rights obligation. But it touches on
Speaker 2: more than the Jordan principle itself. It's a holistic need
Speaker 2: to make sure that there is appropriate support for health,
Speaker 2: for education, housing, mental health support, special needs support, that
Speaker 2: no child is denied care because of where they come from,
Speaker 2: or where they live, or who governs their community. And
Speaker 2: that requires, first of all, I mean it requires resources,
Speaker 2: of course, but it also requires listening to the voices
Speaker 2: of the community, empowering them and listening to them and
Speaker 2: doing so with humility and respect.
Speaker 6: It shouldn't have taken so many court cases and it
Speaker 6: shouldn't take so long to get action. And there are
Speaker 6: still there are more children in care now, there are
Speaker 6: still children in care who've been taken from their families.
Speaker 6: This has got to stop. So I think Jonathan's answer,
Speaker 6: and this is an issue of deep concern. Intergenerational trauma
Speaker 6: is not in the past tense. It's an ongoing issue
Speaker 6: of our settler culture, colonial approaches that are still harming families.
Speaker 3: Thank you both very much. And so at this point
Speaker 3: we've gone through the five questions that were pre sent
Speaker 3: to the party leaders. We'll be doing this for all
Speaker 3: four sessions, with the various parties giving them the questions
Speaker 3: in advance. So at this point we'd like to open
Speaker 3: it up if there are any questions, and reminder of participants.
Speaker 3: If you've registered again, this is for first nation leadership
Speaker 3: from across the country. If you have registered online and
Speaker 3: you're joining us here virtually. If you do have a question,
Speaker 3: we're not using the conventional chat box that we would
Speaker 3: often have on the side, but we do have a
Speaker 3: Q and A function at the bottom of the screen.
Speaker 3: Just click the button and then you can ask you
Speaker 3: a question. If you don't see it, you should be
Speaker 3: able to see it, but there might be another button
Speaker 3: that says more with the three dots. Click that and
Speaker 3: you should be able to access the Q and A function.
Speaker 3: So if you do have any questions, just pose those
Speaker 3: questions online. We'll go through those will take some time.
Speaker 3: At this point, I don't see one. I see one,
Speaker 3: but I don't see any in the Q and A box.
Speaker 3: But what we will do is if there are questions
Speaker 3: that come forward, we'll go through those questions and then
Speaker 3: I will allow an opportunity for closing comments, and then
Speaker 3: we will close the session with closing final comments from
Speaker 3: both co leaders of the Green Party. Here's a question.
Speaker 3: Question is if elected, will your government issue a public
Speaker 3: apology to those affected by discrimination in the child welfare system.
Speaker 3: I'll turn it over to Elizabeth May. Yes, very short answer, concise,
Speaker 3: Jonathan Pedno.
Speaker 2: Yes, and and and and beyond that, we need we
Speaker 2: need reparations as well. There are so many injustices and
Speaker 2: they've affected the lives of so many people, and apologies
Speaker 2: is one thing, but then there needs to be support
Speaker 2: and that we need to Unlike with the with the
Speaker 2: report and the number of pledges that have been taken
Speaker 2: by by other parties, we we we need to act
Speaker 2: enough and enough with the waiting.
Speaker 6: I just want to say I shout out to one
Speaker 6: of our colleagues in Parliament, Laurie Idluked, who's the only
Speaker 6: inner woman in Parliament's. She injects something so important in
Speaker 6: every conversation about the intergenerational trauma, that there's intergenerational love
Speaker 6: and we need to focus on support and love and
Speaker 6: caring and yes, of course reparations. But I find Lourie,
Speaker 6: Oh God. I hope Laurie gets re elected. Obviously, I
Speaker 6: hope I get reelected and John because it's an election.
Speaker 6: But there's many good people on all sides of the
Speaker 6: House and Indigenous voices like Leah Gazan from Winnipeg and
Speaker 6: Laurie Idlut from a Nunavut. We need more Indigenous voices
Speaker 6: as well. We have Indigenous candidates in the Green Party.
Speaker 6: Obviously I mentioned Rainbow eys we have. We need more
Speaker 6: Indigenous voices in our parliament.
Speaker 3: Thank you both for the response. So there is a
Speaker 3: question that actually has been touched on. You've provided a
Speaker 3: response to this, but I think it's a very important issue.
Speaker 3: So we will go back to it, and it's to
Speaker 3: follow up on your comments dealing with justice in policing.
Speaker 3: So again you've touched on this as well already, but
Speaker 3: I think it's very important, and the question is, if elected,
Speaker 3: how will your party support First Nations policing? Elizabeth May.
Speaker 6: One thing we have to do is tear down the
Speaker 6: RCMP and decide what it's good for and how we
Speaker 6: rebuild it. So indigenous, I mean, it's local policing in community.
Speaker 6: Indigenous communities are the focus today, but I'd have to
Speaker 6: say in a lot of settler culture communities too, the
Speaker 6: racism of the RCMP, their inability to de escalate a situation,
Speaker 6: all too quick to pull out a gun. Local policing
Speaker 6: needs better training in indigenous communities. We will do everything
Speaker 6: as request. I mean, we're in a nation to nation
Speaker 6: really ship, So even answering this question, I'm aware of
Speaker 6: Wait a minute, I'm not going to say what indigenous
Speaker 6: policing needs for support. That's for indigenous governments to inform
Speaker 6: settler culture governments. This is how this is going to work,
Speaker 6: this is what we need to do it, and then
Speaker 6: that determines what we will support.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Jonathan Pedno. I don't know if you have
Speaker 3: anything further or the next question.
Speaker 2: In general, I mean in any small community, it can
Speaker 2: be very difficult to police, right and I think for
Speaker 2: us as Greens, we would like to see less policing
Speaker 2: and more love and more support to prevent crime early on.
Speaker 2: And that means again housing, water, food opportunities, and reaffirmation
Speaker 2: of one's place in society's that's recognized and treasured by
Speaker 2: the overall society. And that's that is one way to
Speaker 2: reduce the level of crime, reduce the need for policing.
Speaker 2: Policing is a last resort and should be the last
Speaker 2: resort on anything, and that's true whether it's in indigenous
Speaker 2: communities or in downtown Montreal or other places. So ultimately,
Speaker 2: our goal is to create a society where we're where
Speaker 2: people are able to live good lives of meaning in
Speaker 2: connection with the people around them and nature. And right
Speaker 2: now we have the opposite. So we see policing as
Speaker 2: as as a tool. That's that does exist in the
Speaker 2: societies that we live in. And that's very again a
Speaker 2: very sort of you know, colonial mindset of having to
Speaker 2: come in with the stick and keep people within specific roles.
Speaker 2: But our societies are and our economies are not providing
Speaker 2: people with the basic needs, and so we need to
Speaker 2: deal with that first and foremost in terms of the policing.
Speaker 2: Elizabeth is very right, very much right. I think we
Speaker 2: need to we need to hear what nations need throughout
Speaker 2: the country, communities in the Arctic as well, what do
Speaker 2: they need and how can we best support it. But
Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure that before policing, the first questions will
Speaker 2: be about housing and food and security and that infrastructure,
Speaker 2: because those are the questions that politicians have been receiving
Speaker 2: for a long time. But sadly the federal government has
Speaker 2: not been nearly as responsive to those questions as it
Speaker 2: should have been.
Speaker 3: Thank you. Next question comes from Louise Natauapio from the
Speaker 3: Nscapi Nation, and Louise asks what steps would you take
Speaker 3: to include Indigenous history to all education systems across Canada
Speaker 3: so they can learn the real truth, the real truth,
Speaker 3: especially from an Indigenous perspective, so that the rest of
Speaker 3: Canada understands why our way of lives are detrimental. Indigenous
Speaker 3: communities have the highest suicide rates, high school dropout rates, addictions,
Speaker 3: et cetera. And how can you help these communities affected
Speaker 3: by these?
Speaker 2: Elizabeth, may we might have.
Speaker 6: An end to this because generally speaking, and I want
Speaker 6: to thank Louis and the very very excellent question of
Speaker 6: halfin escopy, we are in federal provincial terms under the Constitution.
Speaker 6: The usual answers hands off education and curriculum K to
Speaker 6: twelve is provincial jurisdiction exclusively, but relationship and First Nations,
Speaker 6: relationship and Indigenous justice issues fall under the federal government
Speaker 6: because it's the honor of the crown. There's treaties that
Speaker 6: were signed that are not being lived up to, obviously,
Speaker 6: So this gives us a reason to say to the
Speaker 6: provincial government, you have to indigenize decolonialize your curriculum to
Speaker 6: meet Section thirty five of the Constitution. You cannot fail
Speaker 6: in the education system, to fail to encourage and educate
Speaker 6: and share with settular culture kids and New Canadian kids.
Speaker 6: This is a country that is built on stolen land,
Speaker 6: a place called Turtle Island. If we teach the lessons
Speaker 6: that come from indigenous wisdom, we'll have a much healthier country.
Speaker 6: Have said for a long time, land back, ever since
Speaker 6: the Jocoteine decision and recognition how indigenous title is different
Speaker 6: from the simple title and the settler legal tradition. If
Speaker 6: all of our land was under the Supreme Court of
Speaker 6: Canada's definition of indigenous title, collective and intergenerational, we would
Speaker 6: be a much healthier, more secure society for all. So
Speaker 6: indigenizing and decolonializing our education system is a key to
Speaker 6: survival for all Canada, not only a step towards justice
Speaker 6: and reconciliation, and.
Speaker 2: If that me another lever the federal government possesses right
Speaker 2: now is using broadcasting laws to make sure that there
Speaker 2: is enough Indigenous content on national television. Not talking just
Speaker 2: APTN or specifically CBC North Or, but truly to have
Speaker 2: on mainstream quote unquote mainstream media more Indigenous content in
Speaker 2: Indigenous languages as well. I'm very concerned about the fact
Speaker 2: that the number of Indigenous languages are under threat right now.
Speaker 2: As a Quebecer and a Faco fund that speaks very
Speaker 2: strongly to me, But as a multi linguist, I'm also
Speaker 2: deeply ashamed of the fact that I do not speak
Speaker 2: an Indigenous language, but I do speak Norwegian or Spanish,
Speaker 2: and that is something that needs to be addressed. There
Speaker 2: is a wealth of culture and traditions that needs to
Speaker 2: be uplifted, and that sadly, as Elizabeth pointed out, is
Speaker 2: not being properly communicated in the curriculums at the provincial level,
Speaker 2: and that has to change. Discussions with the provinces are necessary,
Speaker 2: but at the federal level there are a number of
Speaker 2: things that can be done tomorrow, and one of them
Speaker 2: is requiring broadcasters here in Canada to Spanish specific amount
Speaker 2: of budget on Indigenous lad productions for the great public,
Speaker 2: with subtitles if needed. Right, But there's a lot for
Speaker 2: all of us settlers down south to learn about Indigenous cultures,
Speaker 2: and they are diverse, and they are ancient, and there's
Speaker 2: a wealth of knowledge there that and it's I find
Speaker 2: it it's just a shame how little we in the
Speaker 2: settler culture know, and I think the federal government has
Speaker 2: a role to play to help lift up those stories,
Speaker 2: those voices, that history and that knowledge.
Speaker 3: So the next question comes from a remote First Nation
Speaker 3: in northern Manitoba, and this is from Chief Michael Yellowback.
Speaker 3: He asks remote indigenous communities do not have any policing
Speaker 3: service where it makes it challenging to respond to any
Speaker 3: serious incidents that occur. We only have First Nation safety officers,
Speaker 3: but they don't have the adequate training and equipment. How
Speaker 3: will your party support indigenous communities to having their own
Speaker 3: indigenous police force. I'll let you decide who goes first,
Speaker 3: ton of them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And once again, you know, and I hear the
Speaker 2: preoccupation around around crime and safety, and it goes beyond
Speaker 2: crime and safety. It goes as well, as I presume
Speaker 2: to questions tied to search and rescue, to question tied
Speaker 2: to the climate emergency, the wildfires. I mean, communities, especially
Speaker 2: remote communities throughout the country right now are faced with
Speaker 2: this challenge and there is a need for more people
Speaker 2: with public safety experience and baggage and the tools needed
Speaker 2: to protect communities. And that's something that we and we've
Speaker 2: been advocating for in this election, the creation of a
Speaker 2: National Civil Defense Core in coordination and discussion with indigenous
Speaker 2: communities throughout the country as well, because there is a
Speaker 2: knowledge of the territory that is valuable when it comes
Speaker 2: to defending communities from various types of threats. Undoubtedly, there
Speaker 2: is a need to train more people and to make
Speaker 2: that training more accessible and available. Again, I don't believe,
Speaker 2: and we don't believe in the Green Party that the
Speaker 2: policing is necessarily always the answer to some of the
Speaker 2: challenges that communities are faced with. We need more mental
Speaker 2: health support, more again housing, what like the when the
Speaker 2: basics aren't there, policing may not be the answer to
Speaker 2: keep things calm. We need to build the necessary basics.
Speaker 2: But again that depends on the needs the specific nations
Speaker 2: have and and you know, communities in uh mcmacky won't
Speaker 2: have the same demands as communities here in Montreal and
Speaker 2: Aga or Gnawage uh and it's it's there's a lot
Speaker 2: of I think, sadly oftentimes solutions that come from out
Speaker 2: of other very sort of one size fits all, and
Speaker 2: that's that's never been appropriate for Canada, and it certainly
Speaker 2: is inappropriate for the diversity of Indigenous communities and Inuit
Speaker 2: communities and indigenous off reserve as well that that that
Speaker 2: exists throughout the country.
Speaker 3: Thank you. So, Elizabeth May, if you're okay, if I
Speaker 3: can proceed to the next question. Okay, So this the
Speaker 3: next question a series of questions, so I'm going to
Speaker 3: try and put them together from Chief Ramona Horsemen and
Speaker 3: Chief Ramona Horseman is referring to a number of outstanding
Speaker 3: t l E claims. So t L claims of course
Speaker 3: tree Land entitlement claims, and the question is can you
Speaker 3: support those when they go to cabinet for approvals. She
Speaker 3: writes that there are a number of TL claims right
Speaker 3: from nineteen oh four ish, and she also writes that
Speaker 3: understanding the TL special claims go to the cabinet for
Speaker 3: final approval. So again question is can you support those
Speaker 3: when they go to cabinet for approvals?
Speaker 6: Elizabeth May absolutely, And it's a shocking thing that when
Speaker 6: you have these tattle entitlements that have been resolved and
Speaker 6: then they sit there and they sit there and it's shameful.
Speaker 6: And yes, of course we support it. One of the
Speaker 6: things you might think as well, Okay, you get some
Speaker 6: green MPs, you're not going to be in cabinet. We're
Speaker 6: really good at working the room and going and sitting
Speaker 6: down with whatever minister is playing a key role in
Speaker 6: the cabinet, So you can't to sit here. It's you know,
Speaker 6: we can mobilize, we can be part and we can
Speaker 6: work and I just want to fly this. We'll always
Speaker 6: work for you as chief and counsel anywhere across Canada.
Speaker 6: If you want to make sure that an urgent matter
Speaker 6: is delivered directly to whatever minister is holding things up.
Speaker 6: We may not have power, but where I'm an excellent messenger,
Speaker 6: I sit down with the ministration. You've got to read
Speaker 6: this because you've got to have a way to get through.
Speaker 6: There's so many gatekeepers and handlers and people in the way.
Speaker 6: So here's a cabinet decision. Why what's the excuse for
Speaker 6: these delays? There's no excuse. It's not as if this
Speaker 6: hasn't already been sitting through so many years of injustice,
Speaker 6: and there's and it's decided by the courts and it's
Speaker 6: still not implemented. So yes, yes, and yes, and thank
Speaker 6: you for Emona Horseman, Thank you very much.
Speaker 3: Another question from Chief Ramona Horseman sort of two parts
Speaker 3: to this, but what she's referring to, she says, is
Speaker 3: the residential school graveyards. So she says the residential school graveyards.
Speaker 3: Question is what are your thoughts on quote dig now
Speaker 3: ask leader.
Speaker 6: My first thought is every party in this country and
Speaker 6: prime ministers and always said, oh yes, we support all
Speaker 6: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports and from the late
Speaker 6: our late hero Murray Sinclair in late Judge Murray Sinclair
Speaker 6: and one of those recommendations was very clear, I provide
Speaker 6: every family with the explanation of every single child who
Speaker 6: went into the schools and never came home. Provide that information.
Speaker 6: So we have two ways of approaching this. One is
Speaker 6: to physically dig or remains. And I mentioned earlier that
Speaker 6: I was so honored to know that Cook Piros and
Speaker 6: kasimirs on the line what they went through with using
Speaker 6: remote sensing and finding what you could be grave sites
Speaker 6: could be. Then it creates this horrific which we think
Speaker 6: should be absolutely unacceptable. It is unacceptable, but legislated is
Speaker 6: unacceptable sort of denialism around residential schools. But certainly the
Speaker 6: recommendation from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the government institutions
Speaker 6: that ran those schools have an obligation to dig out
Speaker 6: the truth from their own files. Where do those children,
Speaker 6: children that enter the school, that ever went home, what
Speaker 6: happened to them, what their names, find their remains, return
Speaker 6: them to their families. So the question of the way
Speaker 6: it was phrased, and I don't disagree that that's sometimes
Speaker 6: how it's pressed forward. The separate culture governments, the colonial
Speaker 6: governments have not a leg to stand on on this
Speaker 6: they stole the children from their families. According to the
Speaker 6: TRC report, there were I'm just going for memory, so
Speaker 6: I've got the number wrong. Forgive me six thousand children
Speaker 6: that we know of for sure were taken from their
Speaker 6: parents and never got home. What happened? Where were they buried?
Speaker 2: Were?
Speaker 6: What happened?
Speaker 4: You have it?
Speaker 6: We have as a as a government, settler culture government,
Speaker 6: an absolute obligation. And every political leader has said, oh, yes,
Speaker 6: we accept the recommendations from the truths and recognized asciliation
Speaker 6: of the Commission. So we'll get on that when like
Speaker 6: a week from never So I'm I hear you, and
Speaker 6: I agree whether but I think digging may be more
Speaker 6: controversial than living. And I'm not saying I'm ducking up,
Speaker 6: but please to God, how do we ignore the recommendation
Speaker 6: from the TRC Commission and the calls for justice that
Speaker 6: every political leader of every striper said, oh, yes, well,
Speaker 6: well we'll do that. Like when the files are there somewhere,
Speaker 6: can dig them up. We can find the files and
Speaker 6: trace what happened to every child. And if it requires
Speaker 6: physical digging, so be it. We have to just as
Speaker 6: God bless from your wob canoe for doing it. When
Speaker 6: people said it was too controversial to go look in
Speaker 6: a landfill. Really, when women's bodies are being desecrated in
Speaker 6: that way, you think it's too controversial to go dig?
Speaker 6: So that both things dig in the files, dig where
Speaker 6: we have anomalies in the ground.
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